To Encourage You

Hebrews 13:1-4 “Let brotherly love continue . . .Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

I’m sure you’ve seen the signs that have popped up over the last few years.  I’ve seen them primarily in people’s front yards, in front of some businesses, and in front of some churches.  They have a list of statements, beginning with “We believe,” followed by a such things as “Love is love, No human being is illegal, Women’s rights are human rights, Science is real, Disabilities are respected, etc.” The one statement in this list that has particularly caught my eye is “Love is love.”  It occurs to me that, while it’s fine if one wants to believe such a statement, the question I have about it is, “Is that statement true?”  It would seem it would be, if it’s as simple as a mathematical equality such as 1 =1 and 2=2.  But is that what is being said?  I doubt it, for to even make such a statement intimates that there is more there than meets the eye.

The first question one should ask is “What is the definition of love?” We use the word in many ways.  I can say “I love my dog” or I can say “I love my wife.” Obviously, the word “love” doesn’t mean the same thing in the two statements.  Both statements are not equivalent.  The same can be said for the word “hate.” Is the statement “hate is hate” a true statement?  Is Hitler’s hate toward the Jews the same as your or my hatred toward child trafficking.  Hardly!  So, more on this word “love.” 

The Greek language in which the New Testament was written is more exacting when it speaks about love than is the English use of the word. There are at least three Greek words that are translated “love” in the English language. One is “phileo.” It’s the word used in the passage above from Hebrews 13.  Phileo is a word meaning “brotherly love.”  We get the word, “Philadelphia” from it, i.e., “the city of brotherly love.” Then there is “agape.” This word means self-sacrificial service to others. It’s used throughout the Bible to talk about the love of God.  It’s the love He demonstrated by giving His only begotten Son to die for our sins on the cross. Then there is the word “eros.” This word means sexual or romantic love. It’s the root of such words as “erotic.”  So, we can see that when the statement is made that “love is love,” it really depends on what we mean when we use the word.  If by “love” we mean the phileo love on one side of the equation and eros love on the other side, the statement is certainly not true. They don’t mean the same thing. They aren’t the same thing.  Furthermore, even if we mean the same thing with the way we use the same word, it still doesn’t mean that it is the same thing, at least in God’s eyes. 

As an example, read the passage above from Hebrews 13.  It talks about brotherly love, but it also talks about romantic love, i.e., that which is expressed within the confines of marriage (as the Bible defines marriage – not as so many in this world so loosely use the word).  There is a great difference between romantic “love” expressed within the context of marriage compared to that expressed within the context of either fornication or adultery. You see, God would have us to know that he views such love within a marriage as a blessing from Him. Fornication or adultery, on the other hand, is something that God hates and He will certainly judge those who practice it.  They are not the same thing, no matter if one wants to believe they are or not. 

We can believe whatever we want. We can believe that the moon is made of cheese, and we can believe it with all our heart, but that doesn’t mean the moon actually is made of green cheese. We can also believe that love is love, no matter how loosely we may want to define our terms, but that does not mean that love actually is love, i.e., that all “loves” are equivalent.  At least that’s what God’s Word has to say about it. Of course, we are free to believe God’s Word or not, or we can believe someone’s yard sign, or not.  But as for me and my house, we will believe the Lord.